Planning a Successful Diet for 2017

The new year fast approaches, and with that comes the typical resolution to start losing weight. Gym memberships soar and the machines are filled…for about six weeks, tops. You want to have the willpower to get healthy, fit into your old pants, get rid of the gut that’s slowly crept its way into your life, but nothing seems to work. Why so many diets, yet little lasting success?

Faulty focus solely on willpower. You may have willpower in spades…at first. But the bottom line is that successful diets focus on something else: science. Simply cutting down on eating, especially when you make a drastic change, goes against your body’s systems that keep it going. If your body feels it’s going into starvation mode, it will trigger cravings and metabolism will slow down to conserve energy, thus flying in the face of weight loss. This is why some people end up actually gaining weight when they attempt to diet. Happy, healthy tips:

Eat to satisfy your appetite, but stick to real (i.e., not processed) whole foods that satiate the body’s needs.

Choose proteins, fats (yes, there are good fats!), and fiber to slow insulin spikes, as well as low-glycemic, non-starchy carbs.

Selectively, healthfully indulge the sweet tooth by savoring natural sugars in very small amounts.

Unreachable goals. The fact of the matter is that biology and genetics play a role in our weight. A majority of those 6 foot tall, extremely thin models either were born with those genes – or they teeter on the edge of dangerous dieting, not eating enough in order to maintain that look. If everyone in your family has a certain fuller-figured body type, the chances of you becoming rail-thin are slim. Instead, work with your body to maintain a body that is both healthy for you and maintainable over time. Reachable goal: Focus on becoming fit.

The word “diet.” For most of us, when we think of a diet, we think of something temporary that we have to do to lose weight. Once we do that, we rationalize that we can step back a little and go back to our “regular” eating, and maybe even a bit healthier. Diets are too rarely viewed as a different way to think about and consume food for the long term…meaning life-long. Losing weight and getting healthy are processes that need to happen over time to be sustainable. No magic pill can make that happen, no matter what we see on TV.

Unsustainable. Too many so-called diets have you losing 30 lbs in 30 days; the fact is true weight loss that stays “lost” happens over time, again with small and steady changes that become as habitual as brushing your teeth or checking your phone. And any diet that bans certain foods outright will almost guarantee failure because when you break that ban (and you will…you’re a human being with cravings), it makes you feel you have to start all over again.

If you really want to change your weight and improve your fitness, visit your doctor or a nutritionist to set up a plan that will work for you. Make healthy choices and your body will thank you. Reach out to our experienced recruiters at Medical Professionals today!